Travel alternatives for those stranded by volcano ash

D

D8Lady

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This is to try answer some of the threads looking for travel alternatives because of the ash cloud. If anyone has any other ideas, please add them.

Bus options:
Eurolines operate coaches euro wide.
You can then connect with bus eireann service in London.
But looks like they are booking up fast too.

Trains:
- onward euro trave.
Eurostar - book online & only go to station if confirmed, booking out fast.
[broken link removed] - includes TGV trains through France.

Ferry options:
[broken link removed] still has some car space & limited foot passanger space.
[broken link removed] operating normally - still have car & foot passanger space.
[broken link removed]- have not updated press releases nor their news section. Very odd!


Facebook:
This site has been set up - When Volcanoes Erupt: A Survival Guide for Stranded Travelers
It is linking up people who have car space on ferries, willing to hire car & share costs by driving across various counties in Europe or offers from those who have a spare room. Might be needed if this goes on and you are running low on funds for accommodation.

Carpool Europe - as it says, matching people looking for / willing to drive around europe.

Twitter #getmehome similarly trying match people up
 
Celtic Link Ferries travel between Rosslare and Cherbourg.

[broken link removed]


Edit: Forgot to add that they've no news or updates on their website relating to the current situation.
 
tullamore said:
I am reminded of the spirit of the Dunkirk Little Ships

I am an experienced driver having driven abroad and having a small bus licience.

I would be prepared to drive to Europe to bring people home (both directions)

Is there a website for people like me, I am from Athlone and our community rallied when the floods came
and our community pulled through, why not have a fleet of Little Ships ( 8 to 16 Seats) centrally co-ordinated
shuttling out and back.

Anyone interested pm me or john@mysurvey.ie
Click to expand...
Was thinking Dunkirk earlier too! All those boats tied up beside the ferry terminals..

Have a look at the facebook page Carpool Europe for people who are looking for lifts.
Fair play to ya!
 
this group are trying to organise a bus from malaga to UK

This group are trying to organise a bus to UK from malaga:

Google: britsstrandedinspain
 
From www.rte.ie/news

10.42 Britain is dispatching Royal Navy ships to help bring home its nationals stranded by the closure of European airspace due to volcanic ash, Prime Minister Gordon Brown has said.

The aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal and amphibious assault ship HMS Ocean have been made available to help thousands of Britons stranded notably in France.

In addition, the British assault ship HMS Albion is en route to northern Spain to pick up British troops returning from Afghanistan - it could retrieve stranded British civilians too.
 
Anybody planning to travel through France by train be warned, the trains are on strike and only 1 in 2 trains are running on schedule (just to add to the recent problems). I'm not sure what services are affected I briefly read the article on the sky news website.
 
From www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline

Are you stranded in the UK? Do you want a lift from London to Pembroke ferry port?Denis Buggy has a 53 seat coach. He will call to Heathrow Airport Terminal 1 at around 16.00pm tpday today/Monday 19th and offer anybody who needs a lift a free trip to Pembroke ferry terminal. He will park at the coach park in Terminal 1 at Heathrow - his reg number is 07KK5703, the coach is all white, signs say Buggy on front and back. He will wait there and depart at 17.30pm.From Heathrow he will drive on to Pembroke to catch the Irish Ferries 02.45am ferry to Rosslare. Because his existing booking was cancelled he has ferry tickets paid for 5 adults and 22 children (ref number 10434570) - so people can piggyback on those tickets, on a first come-first served basis. Any other passengers who come on the bus with him will have to organise and pay for their own ferry passage.
 
Celtic Link Ferries travel between Rosslare and Cherbourg.
[broken link removed]

Edit: Forgot to add that they've no news or updates on their website relating to the current situation.
Click to expand...
This company is superb. I just got off a their ferry after 2 days travelling from Austria. Staff were great and ship was lovely.
The sailing before my one had 140 foot passengers, and our one had 550!

The main travel tip I have is about booking trains. When we arrived in Frankfurt, they said there would be no available trains to Paris until Monday. To get to the coast from Frankfurt, Paris seems to be the main option.
So we had a choice, miss our ferry or just get on the train anyway, without a ticket. Weighing things up, we decided to take the risk. We were able to buy a ticket on the train. We did ask/persuade one of the guards first before boarding.

We discovered that there were a lot of empty seats on the train, despite it being apparently fully booked. The booking system really sucks. If a seat is booked for even just one portion of a journey, the seat is gone for the whole journey in the booking system.

We also got screwed by the French going on a train strike. We ended up paying €300 for a taxi. Hotels are also very expensive in Paris, but it's either that or sleep rough for the night.
 
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